


Louder Than Bells

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Food, Getting Together, Kissing, sneaky people, weird angel/demon flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 08:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7426741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby doesn't know about love, but she's an expert at lust.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Louder Than Bells

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smokeandsong](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=smokeandsong).



> Written as a Christmas present for the lovely smokeandsong, who gave the prompt of “Drumming Song by Florence and the Machine”, the lyrics of which also provide the title.
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2010.

Ruby had never been in love. She'd been in lust, certainly. The fierce bloom of passion in her chest when she had been human and first spotted the squire's son. The first flush of recognition as he had looked back at her, undressing her with his eyes. The wave of desire she felt as he had taken her, whispering promises into her ear that she should never have believed.

She'd got her revenge on him though. And even if it had damned her soul, it had been worth it. The shock on his face as he'd realised that she, just a slip of a peasant girl, had outwitted him, that was worth all her time in Hell and then some.

Mostly.

And as the centuries passed she never really felt that same desire. She had decided that it had just been a naïve crush that hadn't meant anything to him or to her. That those feelings were just wisps of fantasy that had no place with her now. Not as a witch nor a demon and certainly not as Lucifer's right hand.

She lusted plenty. After boys and girls and in between. She'd bedded more than her fair share of all of them. The humans, like Sam, were so pliable it was hardly a challenge any more, but the older she got the more dangerous it became for her to lay with her own kind. Not that there were that many who caught her eye anyway. Crowley was cute, but a little too independent for her liking. And Lilith was too stupid to be attractive.

The only angel that had ever attracted her was the first one she'd ever seen – Lucifer. There'd been something about the way his Grace still burnt bright, despite all his efforts to corrupt it once and for all that had delighted her. The way it hurt to be close to him, but sent tingles up her spine, that was perfectly delicious.

Until she met the Archangel Gabriel.

Of course, “met” was probably pushing it a bit far. And she hadn't known he was an Archangel straight away. She'd just thought he was the guy that liked messing with the Winchester's minds, and there certainly wasn't anything wrong with that.

One day when she'd been trying to convince Sam that her blood was the tastiest thing since a double cheeseburger, she'd noticed that they were being followed. Wary of anything to do with Dean and his pet angel, she'd circled around the block after Sam had left (blood free) and followed the tail. He didn't sense like an angel, but then he didn't quite sense as human either; he was decidedly Other.

Curious, she'd followed him into a busy Chinese restaurant and sat away from him, but facing the floor to ceiling mirror along one wall so that she could keep an eye on him, and stock up on food. She didn't exactly _need_ to eat, but it was number two on her list of human body pleasures.

The man didn’t seem as if he'd noticed her, in fact he barely looked in the direction she was sitting all night, although he did keep casting his eyes around the room. Ruby thought he might be looking for someone and she was proven right when a young brunette walked in, and proceeded to talk to one of the waitresses.

Ruby couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was obvious they were having an argument, and the man she'd followed seemed very interested in the outcome. When the brunette reacted to something the waitress said by slapping her across the face, the man smiled and followed her as she was pushed outside. Ruby followed, slipping out of the side door in order to forgo payment on the, in her opinion, rather mediocre food.

She was just in time to see the brunette get squashed by a sofa which a moving crew outside the restaurant had lost grip on. It was a fairly horrifying sight, if you cared about that sort of thing. Ruby just found it amusing. And so too, apparently, did the man she had followed.

“Some people deserve everything they get, isn't that right, demon?”

Ruby jumped, skittish despite herself, and would have reached for the knife hidden in the back of her jeans, if the man wasn't already there, holding it between his fingers.

“Now what's a nice demon like you doing with a dangerous knife like this?”

Ruby said nothing, just started to back up.

“No need to be afraid, little girl. I won't hurt you.” He grinned madly and Ruby felt like Little Red Riding Hood confronting the wolf.

“I don't know what you are - “

“I'm the Trickster,” he said, face morphing into something even more sly. “But you can call me Gabriel.”

“Gabriel?” Ruby said. “What, like the Archangel?”

Gabriel's expression barely changed, but Ruby could see that for some reason her question had hit a nerve. She filed that away for later exploration.

“Why were you following me?” he asked after a moment.

Ruby shrugged. “You were following me first.”

“Technically I was following Sam.”

“Why?”

This time Gabriel shrugged. “I have my reasons.”

Gabriel stalked closer to her and she shivered; if only she could concentrate she'd probably be hearing her blood drumming against her skull right now. As it was all she could hear was Gabriel's breathing as he placed his hands either side of her head.

“Why were you with Sam Winchester?” he asked.

“I have my reasons,” she replied, smiling. She stared at his lips, wondering if he was going to kiss her, or whether she was going to have to make the first move.

But before she could make a decision he had smiled at her and moved away. She felt something in her hand and looked up. Somehow he had managed to put a piece of paper there and when she turned to ask him what it was she found that he had gone. Impressed by his sneakiness she unfurled the piece of paper. It was an address.

* * * *

It took Ruby four days to decide that she was going to go meet Gabriel. It wasn't that she was scared of him, though deep down she admitted that yes, she was. Because _of course_ he was the Archangel. Why else would he have an interest in the Winchesters?

It was merely because she wanted to make sure that she knew all the possible exits from the building, and could make sure that he hadn't planted any traps that would send her back to Hell before her mission was completed.

She never really thought of not going, though. Whenever she got close to his address she felt it, a dizzying pressure against her head and something, something very much like how she used to feel when she was human. And when she left it always dimmed, but not enough for her to forget that it had been there, taunting her.

Finally she found herself outside the front door of the building and knocked on the door. Gabriel opened it immediately.

“Have you been waiting here all this time?” Ruby asked, genuinely curious.

“No,” Gabriel said. “Just nearby.” He smiled and Ruby found herself smiling back before she replaced it with a scowl.

“What did you want?”

“Dinner?” Gabriel asked, stepping aside and ignoring her question. Ruby glanced around him and saw a table laden with French fries and burgers. She eyed him warily – how could he possibly know? - but then entered the room. Food momentarily trumped suspicion.

She helped herself to a plate of fries and proceeded to eat them with her fingers, biting each one as if she were removing its head. She watched as Gabriel poured her a soda and helped himself to a burger.

“That's a lot of food,” Ruby said after a moment.

Gabriel shrugged. “I have a big appetite.” He winked at her and moved over to the sofa.

Ruby waited, trying to see if the drumming in her head would slow down, but if anything it intensified. That desire was still there, pulsating and demanding attention. Desire that she should not be feeling. But maybe that was why she was allowing herself to consider it. An angel was a demon's natural enemy, but that didn't make them less attractive, or any less of a conquest.

She turned around, a plan half formed in her mind, only to find that Gabriel was kissing her, his hand curling around her neck and pulling her close, her plate of food falling to the floor.

“I hear it too,” he whispered against her lips.

Ruby opened herself up to him then. Forgetting everything else she should be worrying about. Forgetting to do anything except feel. It was about time she had something that was hers, and totally hers. She might never have been in love, but lust she could work with.


End file.
